MEET OUR TEAM

Stevan “Stevo” Krickovic was born and raised in the former Yugoslavia. His family immigrated to the United States when he was 5 years old. He began his journey playing youth soccer for a local club in Waterloo, Iowa. Then he played for the Cedar Valley Youth Soccer Association. He attended Waterloo West High School where he played and captained the team his senior year while also leading as captain of his club team, Cedar Valley Select. After high school, Coach Stevo attended the University of Northern Iowa and transferred his junior year to play at Western Illinois University. After college, Stevo played two years of Semi-Pro Soccer with the Minnesota Twin Stars of the NPSL. He then spent time playing in Europe and Thailand pursuing a professional contract where his playing days came to an end. Never having signed on the dotted line, Stevo came to understand that a commitment to the game of soccer isn’t always enough to get over the hump but always controlling what we can control can put us in the right positions to succeed or to learn.

Of the many lessons Stevo learned along the way, near the top of the list is that when it comes to pursing that which we find most meaningful, the reasons we have for doing what we do must be great and our will must be greater. There is a lot to endure in any worthwhile endeavor so this is where the concept of ‘vision’ became so profound for Stevo. He believes that having a vision of the kind of athlete he wanted to be and the kind of person he wants to become is what gave, and continues to give, him a sense of direction during the good times and especially during the hard times.

For Stevo, a vision is all about guiding our actions in the direction of our ideal tomorrow, not only as athletes, but as people.

He hopes to instill some of the valuable lessons he learned on to the next generation.

In the time since he returned from Thailand, he has coached players at all levels, including youth, high school, college and professional. In 2021, Stevo began his new tomorrow.

enVISION.

Denis Razic was born and raised in the former Yugoslavia and began playing youth soccer at the age of 7 in Germany. Upon arriving in the United States, he spent some time playing for the Dubuque Scorpions, a local club in Dubuque, Iowa, where he also played high school soccer. After graduation, Coach Denis spent a brief period playing in Serbia for FK Proleter and FK Sloga. He then headed for Croatia where he played with NK Zagreb. Eventually he returned to the United States where he played with the University of Dubuque Spartans before beginning his coaching career. He received his Ajax Academy Youth Certification and was the Dubuque Soccer Club Development and Academy coach. His meteoric rise as a coach included stints as head coach of Dubuque Hempstead Men’s Soccer, assistant coach at University of Wisconsin-Platteville Women’s Soccer, assistant coach at Clarke College Men’s Soccer, head coach of Dubuque Union Under 21s and assistant coach to Dubuque Union Men’s 1st Team. Coach Denis sees soccer as a means to give back to the next generation. He brings an energy and passion to the game that will most certainly be felt by everyone at enVISION!

Ethan Tursi was born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa where he started playing soccer at age 6 for his local club, AYSO, and began playing club soccer in high school for AYSO United at age 14. He also played for Xavier High School and won a state championship his senior year. Following graduation, he moved to Cedar Falls to attend the University of Northern Iowa where he will graduate with a degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science.

Ethan has gained his first bit of coaching experience as an assistant coach for Waterloo West High School and Hoover Middle School during his time at UNI. Throughout his time playing soccer, Ethan has learned many valuable life lessons that have helped him find success both inside and outside of the sport. He hopes to help others grow and learn from their experiences throughout their soccer journey while enhancing their love for the game in the process!

During his internship, Ethan will spend time working with the athletes that train at enVISION as well as with the club teams of FK enVISION!

Mike Penning was born and raised in Dubuque, Iowa where he started playing soccer at age 6. He played club soccer for the Dubuque Soccer Club while also competing for the Iowa ODP team. Penning played soccer at Hempstead High School. He earned all-conference honors twice at Hempstead and his team qualified for the state tournament. After graduating, Penning continued his playing career at Western Illinois University where he earned academic all-conference honors. He finished his college career as a three-year starter on competitive teams at Loras College.

Penning’s coaching career began as the girls' coach at Hempstead High School while still attending Loras. He moved to the Cedar Valley to be the assistant coach for the Wartburg Men’s soccer team. He helped coach teams that earned an Elite Eight berth and several other Sweet Sixteen finishes in the NCAA tournament. Penning spent 17 years coaching the Waterloo West boys' soccer team. Between his time at Hempstead and West High, he was selected by his peers as the Mississippi Valley Conference coach of the year six times. He also has six years of club coaching experience between Iowa Rush North and the Cedar Valley Soccer Club. 

Penning enjoys using the game of soccer as the medium to teach players how to be the best version of themselves on and off the field. He is thankful for his wife who is an outstanding soccer mom and enjoys watching his two kids grow while playing the game he loves. He is excited to join the excellent enVISION coaching staff and program.